sf/f TV development news - 2013

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Re: sf/f TV development news - 2012

According to Deadline Hollywood Gotham "still has a pulse at ABC and also is exploring a potential cable play" and the CW is looking to redevelop The Selection.

Preview clips for Arrow and Beauty and the Beast:

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpFobB8EpKQ&feature=player_detailpage#t=20s[/yt]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWR685KffUA&feature=player_detailpage#t=50s[/yt]

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: sf/f TV development news - 2012

Rejected pilots never just die anymore, do they? Here's the Deadline story about several pilots still kickin'.

Gotham on cable is a good idea; Grimm already has that concept covered in broadcast fashion. Something darker and crazier on FX or even AMC would be nice. It also sounds ready-made for Syfy, though probably too redundant with what Syfy is already developing.

I wish NBC would revisit The Frontier and Beautiful People, but since what I liked most about those was the premise, there's nothing stopping those concepts from coming back around.

Last Resort looked interesting, but it's going to get killed in that timeslot.

Ouch, yeah - CBS has the male audience locked up with their comedies, and ABC is going to have a challenge attracting that audience anyway, with their soaps heavy schedule. I guess the X-Factor is also an obstacle? I haven't really been following its ratings.

If anyone wants to assess the competition for any of these series, here's the schedule.

666 Park Ave would be better positioned with OUaT as the direct lead-in, but it still should do very well against older-skewing CBS and male-skewing NBC competition.

Revolution is in a good place to attract the young male audience vs Castle and Hawaii Five-0. Given the buzz it's getting, it stands a good chance of drawing people back to TV who have been alienated from it and wouldn't even consider the competition.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: sf/f TV development news - 2012

The Selection may be in contention for midseason. New story w/additional details. I wonder what about the pilot is fudged up?

I hear the CW brass are planning to sit down with the producers of the project next week to discuss its redeveloping...instead of staying close to the source material as they did this season, they will likely use the books more of a jumping-off point the second time around.

Anyone know what the books are like? Is this a good thing or a bad thing? (My hunch is that the whole thing revolves around how much prominence is given to the romantic triangle.)

The casting is expected to change, but the CW and The Selection producer Warner Bros. TV are trying to keep the lead, Friday Night Lights’ Aimee Teegarden.

I hope they keep Gregory Peck's grandson, too, he's a serious hottie.

Also, CW's Deadman series - not heard from in a while - is ironically not dead. That one wasn't even officially picked up to pilot:

Small screen take on the DC Comics hero, the spirit of a murdered man who lives on as he inhabits other people's bodies and helps them solve crises in their own lives.

USA has a vaguely sci-fi-ish show in development...about my people, the synethetes!

FALLEN – After an accident, a gruff, macho cop — known for his “act first, ask questions later” approach — develops the rare condition of synesthesia and suddenly finds himself seeing “emotions.” His partner doesn’t quite understand this “touchy-feely” approach to solving crimes, but there’s no doubt that this new insight is helping clear cases.

 

[bullethead]

Re: sf/f TV development news - 2012

Last Resort kinda has the major problem of making the captain look like a loon when he refuses to launch against Pakistan and then launches a missile at Washington DC (even if he's not intending to detonate the warheads). Wouldn't that just ensure that everyone would try to bomb the shit out of the island and the sub?

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: sf/f TV development news - 2012

And didn't he know when he took the job that he might be called upon to bomb a nation, no questions asked? A bit too late to be having second thoughts now.

Plus if he's not willing to harm innocents, exactly what does he plan to shoot with his nukes? And if he's not planning to shoot anything, then his nukes are a threat to everyone around him, not a shield.

 

[AviTrek]

Re: sf/f TV development news - 2012

And didn't he know when he took the job that he might be called upon to bomb a nation, no questions asked? A bit too late to be having second thoughts now.

Plus if he's not willing to harm innocents, exactly what does he plan to shoot with his nukes? And if he's not planning to shoot anything, then his nukes are a threat to everyone around him, not a shield.

Maybe he just forgot about the Lipizzaner stallions.

 

[startrekwatcher]

Re: sf/f TV development news - 2012

The Last Resort looks like next season's LOST wannabe doomed to failure.

Revolution has me definitely weary--JJ Abrams show--but I have been hearing that it isn't going to be the over-the-top incoherent mess his other series are--we'll see--actors over hype shit all the time to gin up viewers. Billy Burke promises that it is entertaining, linear and easy to follow--so hopefully it is. They'd be smart not to drag out the mystery of what caused the blackout and who and why--get it out of the way--and let it be halfway inventive and not some lame revelation like FlashForward and The Event ultimately provided.

Park Avenue actually looks to be the best of the fall shows--the trailer makes it feel like a supernatural soap opera rather than one of those overloaded mystery shows. Hopefully it will actually be fun and entertaining--a sort of 2012 Dark Shadows or Point Pleasant rather than the abysmal ABC summer series The Gates or overrated Revenge. I prefer my soaps over-the-top in their scheming and machinations.

That's pretty much it that I'm interested in until the winter debut of Do No Harm(could be a fun show) and Zero Hour(intriguing premise but it could veer into LOST-territory if they aren't careful).

 

[JRS]

Re: sf/f TV development news - 2012

This Canadian show Continuum seems pretty interesting:
(sorry if this has been mentioned already)
Honestly, I would watch this already just because they have Nichols and Doig there

When a group of fanatical terrorists escapes their planned execution in the year 2077, they vault back in time to the year 2012, sweeping dedicated CPS Protector, Kiera Cameron (Rachel Nichols), along with them. Stuck in the past and unable to get back to her husband and son, Kiera concentrates on bringing down the terrorists before they can wreak havoc in our present. Kiera receives unexpected assistance from a teen tech genius Alec Sadler (Erik Knudson). Impersonating a member of local law enforcement, Kiera also forms an uneasy alliance with her detective partner Carlos Fonnegra (Victor Webster).
Starring Rachel Nichols (Criminal Minds, Alias) Victor Webster (Castle, Melrose Place) Erik Knudson (Jericho, Scream 4) the cast also includes Stephen Lobo (Smallville, Little Mosque On The Prairie), Roger Cross (24,The Gates, Fringe), Lexa Doig (V, Stargate SG-I), Omari Newton (Blue Mountain State, Sophie), Luvia Petersen (The L Word), and Terry Chen (Combat Hospital).

Trailer here:
http://youtu.be/6C2PCvqwicU
It will be on Showcase starting May 27th.
Not sure if and when it will be shown in US/EU, though

 

[Christopher]

Re: sf/f TV development news - 2012

Revolution has me definitely weary--JJ Abrams show--but I have been hearing that it isn't going to be the over-the-top incoherent mess his other series are--we'll see--actors over hype shit all the time to gin up viewers.

I refer you to the post Harvey made in this thread eight days ago:

On the television side, you seem to be giving Abrams a lot of credit (or blame) where it's not deserved. His active involvement as a writer and/or director on those shows has been limited to their early life. Consider: Abrams' last writing credit on Lost was the season three premiere; his last writing credit on Fringe was the season two premiere; his last writing credit on Alias was the fourth season premiere; his last writing credit on Undercovers was the third episode.

These days he basically just co-creates shows that are then produced by other people. Or just co-produces shows created by other people, like Jonathan Nolan's Person of Interest.

 

[xortex]

Re: sf/f TV development news - 2012

So he's not to blame for not knowing what his shows are about. He's just following orders like everybody else except that he is the cleverest guy in the room.

 

[Mistral]

Re: sf/f TV development news - 2012

And didn't he know when he took the job that he might be called upon to bomb a nation, no questions asked? A bit too late to be having second thoughts now.

Plus if he's not willing to harm innocents, exactly what does he plan to shoot with his nukes? And if he's not planning to shoot anything, then his nukes are a threat to everyone around him, not a shield.

He could always target massively important power plants and dams set in obscure, out of the way places. There's tons of those, right?

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Re: sf/f TV development news - 2012

Full trailer for Arrow:

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViFb0paKdgg&feature=player_detailpage[/yt]

Trailer for Cult:

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGs36fBSewQ&feature=player_detailpage[/yt]

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: sf/f TV development news - 2012

D'OH! What happened to the Cult trailer!

Now I have to do a furious search for one that still works.

EDIT: Okay here it is, at least for now.

Looks fun, but not a slam-dunk. Could easily devolve into silliness.

The other two, eh.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Re: sf/f TV development news - 2012

So the new beast in Beauty and the Beast switches back and forth between his usual hunky himbo looks and his beast face - kinda dilutes the concept, although their reasons for the change are rather obvious. He probably can't control changing back and forth. They'll probably have him Hulk out.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: sf/f TV development news - 2012

Eh, I like OUaT's take on Beauty & the Beast better anyway - the Beast really is a villain! (And I'm glad ABC didn't pick up their series since it would have been redundant.)

Vulture has an interesting article about the pilot pickup process that talks about the reasons why there are so many divergent rumors (because of the different departments involved in the process - though, this year the early rumors were fairly accurate) and a scary tale of how Lost almost didn't make it!

And Jeremy Renner was in a pilot that didn't get picked up! Dang did they miss out. (I vaguely remember that one...The Oaks...a multigenerational horror story.)

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: sf/f TV development news - 2012

The latest rumor about a cancelled series revived by Netflix: Pan Am.

Sony Pictures Television, producer of the canceled airline drama “Pan Am” that aired on Walt Disney Co. (DIS)[/URL]’s ABC network has held talks with distributors to keep the show going, two people with knowledge of the matter said.

I know that show does well overseas, but I'd rather see networks start diversifying into web series with concepts that are too nichey to survive either on broadcast or cable, vs resurrecting canceled series. After they bring back Jericho, of course. Do that one and then stop.

Pan Am was an okay series, nothing more. Maybe freed from the constraints of broadcast, it wouldn't be so pat and formulaic...

DirecTV could be the savior of shows like Harry's Law, which get axed for skewing too old for broadcast.

“We’ll pick up shows that go to our fan base, which is predominantly 35 and over,” Chang said. “We’re trying to complement a DirecTV brand. If a show has an excellent cast and writing, it can be a good fit.”

I can see the attraction of a known quantity with a built-in fanbase, but Netflix, DirecTV et al aren't doing themselves any favors if they start to be perceived as a dumping ground for broadcast rejects.

 

[Caliburn24]

Re: sf/f TV development news - 2012

Actually most of these "talks" about reviving cancelled shows are gimmicks. Netflix and whoever else gets free publicity, Deadline and other sites that proudly report such rumors get more hits. We're going to reach a point where almost every cancelled show soon after has reports of being revived, just because those reports costs nothing, and they are not actually outright lies.

As fans, we need to start recognizing when those talks are serious, and when they are not(the vast majority).

 

[RJDiogenes]

Re: sf/f TV development news - 2012

I'm surprised nobody's talking about picking up Secret Circle. That seems like a no-brainer.

This Canadian show Continuum seems pretty interesting:
(sorry if this has been mentioned already)
Honestly, I would watch this already just because they have Nichols and Doig there

Never too much Lexa.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: sf/f TV development news - 2012

My bet: Jericho talks are serious (it would make sense for CBS to team with Netflix) but the Speilberg shows (Terra Nova and The River) were BS all along. And Pan Am will never happen - doesn't make sense.

The plausible cases are where Netflix has data about the rental rates for an existing show that indicate it makes sense for them, and if the show is not particularly expensive to produce.

I'm surprised nobody's talking about picking up Secret Circle.

People talk about picking up every cancelled show imaginable whenever these kinds of stories hit.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: sf/f TV development news - 2012

If you wanna know what the vampire and supernatural series fans are hanging out: eonline. They're running a poll where everyone can angst over cancelled series and The Secret Circle is running away with 33% of the vote.

But I voted for Awake.

So far Work It has 0%. I hope it stays that way.